Indian athletics received an early-season boost as national record holder Tejas Shirse opened his 2026 indoor campaign with a solid 7.87 seconds in the 60m hurdles at the Orlen Cup Łódź, a World Athletics Indoor Silver Tour meeting in Poland.
Competing in Europe’s at an early-season fields, the 22-year-old Indian not only advanced to the final but also demonstrated that his winter training block has positioned him well for a demanding international season.
For an athlete whose last two seasons have been about pushing India into global sprint-hurdling relevance, this was a meaningful marker. Indoor races are unforgiving: with just five hurdles and barely eight seconds of racing, there is no margin for error. In that context, Shirse’s 7.87 in the heats, which made him the second-fastest non-automatic qualifier across both heats, was a statement of intent rather than just a time on the scoreboard.
Strong heat in a high-quality field
The Orlen Cup attracts a deep European sprint-hurdles field every year, and the 2026 edition was no exception. Poland’s Jakub Szymański, one of Europe’s fastest indoor hurdlers, topped the heats with 7.52, underlining the level of competition. Cuba’s Kendry Menéndez followed with a personal best 7.61, while Czech hurdler Jonas Kolomaznik clocked 7.79.
Shirse, running in lane two, posted 7.87, enough to secure qualification despite finishing fifth in his heat. His reaction time of 0.116 was one of the fastest in the race, indicating sharpness at the blocks a crucial component in the indoor hurdles, where the first three steps decide much of the race.
What made the run more encouraging was that Shirse was clearly still finding his rhythm through the middle hurdles. Indoor tracks often require adjustments in stride pattern compared to the 110m hurdles outdoors, and athletes typically need two or three competitions before fully settling. That he was already within touching distance of his best indoor form suggests a healthy base.
Read Articles Without Ads On Your IndiaSportsHub App. Download Now And Stay Updated
Qualifying as a non-automatic runner meant Shirse was allotted Lane 1 for the final traditionally the toughest place to be indoors. With tighter curves and reduced visual reference, Lane 1 is far from ideal for hurdlers who rely on spatial awareness and rhythm.
Despite that disadvantage, Shirse fought through a difficult race and clocked 7.91, finishing seventh overall in a world-class field. While the time was slightly slower than his heat, the placing must be seen in context: he was racing against established European and Caribbean hurdlers who have been competing indoors for weeks, while this was Shirse’s very first race of the season.
In high-performance sprint hurdling, the opening race is rarely about peak times. It is about testing mechanics under pressure, assessing block starts, and gauging how the body responds to race intensity. From that perspective, coming away with a final appearance and two sub-8-second runs is exactly the kind of foundation elite seasons are built on.
Read Articles Without Ads On Your IndiaSportsHub App. Download Now And Stay Updated
Tejas Shirse is not just another Indian hurdler. He is the national record holder, and over the past two years he has been at the forefront of India’s push to be competitive in the sprint hurdles on the global stage. The 60m hurdles is an indoor discipline, but it is a valuable indicator of how sharp an athlete’s speed, reaction and hurdle technique are before the outdoor 110m hurdles season begins.
A heat time of 7.87 in early January places Shirse firmly in the competitive bracket for major international indoor meets. To put that in perspective, it is well within the range typically needed to qualify for continental championships and Diamond League indoor fields later in the season. For an Indian athlete, this level of consistency against European elites is still rare.
More importantly, it reflects continuity. Over the past two years, Shirse has not been a one-off performer but a hurdler who keeps returning to international tracks and producing credible times. That consistency is what ultimately changes perceptions of Indian sprinting abroad.
The Orlen Cup was only the first step of Shirse’s 2026 indoor campaign. With several European meets scheduled over the coming weeks, including higher-tier World Athletics Tour events, he will get multiple opportunities to sharpen his race rhythm and chase faster times. For India, his progress matters beyond individual success. Sprint hurdling is a globally competitive event where qualifying standards for major championships are unforgiving. Athletes like Shirse, who can repeatedly run under eight seconds indoors and around 13.5 outdoors, give Indian athletics something it has long lacked in the sprint disciplines: genuine international credibility.
Read Articles Without Ads On Your IndiaSportsHub App. Download Now And Stay Updated
Opening the season with 7.87 in a field of this quality is not a headline built on hype. It is a data point that suggests Tejas Shirse is ready to push forward again in 2026 and that Indian hurdles remain in safe, fast hands.
